Ulster eyesore may soon become doctors' medical center

LAKE KATRINE — An eyesore along the Town of Ulster's main drag will soon be home to more than 190 medical professionals.

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By Michael Novinson

recordonline.com

By Michael Novinson

Posted Aug. 11, 2012 at 2:00 AM
Updated Aug 11, 2012 at 8:35 AM

By Michael Novinson

Posted Aug. 11, 2012 at 2:00 AM
Updated Aug 11, 2012 at 8:35 AM

» Social News

LAKE KATRINE — An eyesore along the Town of Ulster's main drag will soon be home to more than 190 medical professionals.

Construction will begin in the next several months on a four-story, 83,440-square-foot building that will bring Mid-Hudson Medical Group's 43 Ulster-area doctors under one roof.

"It's a much more efficient way of doing business," said Brian Cohan, a developer for Kirchhoff Properties.

Mid-Hudson currently has six facilities in Ulster County, according to its website. Moving all of those practices to a single site will allow for consolidation of accounting and reception and make referrals easier on patients, Cohan said.

The 14.9-acre site hasn't been used since the 1990s. Graffiti-covered structures and abandoned septic tanks from the Miron masonry days dot the landscape. It's on Route 9W, north of the intersection with Route 199.

"The proposed development will clean up a commercial/industrial site with a myriad of dilapidated buildings," the Town Board concluded in a February environmental assessment.

The site offers great access and is easy to spot, Cohan said, plus it's less congested than the stretch of Route 9W lined with the malls.

Developers still need to close on the property, figure out financing, finish traffic design and design the medical office, Cohan said. Once all of that is finished, the 16-month construction phase will begin.

"We're aggressively pushing the project forward," he said.

After that's done, Kirchhoff will seek to fill the remaining space with more than 125,000 square feet of development.

Ideas for the rest of the site include a 100-room hotel, a pharmacy, a bank, a fast-food restaurant and retail space, according to planning documents. These businesses are expected to employ more than 200 people.

The medical office will have 419 parking spots. Nearly 700 trips are expected during the afternoon rush hour, while more than 800 visitors are expected on Saturdays.

Once the entire complex is built, there will be in excess of 700 parking spots.